Alarmed by the mortality figure, Fintiri directed all cabinet members to engage with respective community leaders to mitigate the spread of the communicable disease through vaccination.
As the death toll from the measles outbreak in Adamawa State rises to 49, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has directed commissioners to move to their respective communities to help contain the spread of the infectious disease.
Alarmed by the mortality figure, Fintiri directed all cabinet members to engage with respective community leaders to mitigate the spread of the communicable disease through vaccination.
SaharaReporters on Monday reported that the state government had shut down primary and secondary schools for one week following confirmation that the disease had killed 42 children.
The one-week is to enable vaccinators to meet children at home.
The state's epidemiologist, Kadabiyu Jones, at a media briefing organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday, said, “Since January, 818 cases have been reported out of which 143 cases were confirmed; resulting in 49 deaths.
"Most of those affected are children aged one to 14 who have not been vaccinated.
"As part of the measures to tackle the spread of the disease, the state governor has directed his commissioners to return to their communities to help drive immunisation."
WHO State Coordinator, Dr. Terse Ahimen, called on journalists to join the vanguard for mitigating the spread of the child killer disease.
"What you people report is very important to us and one of the aims here is that you report what will save lives," Ahimen said.